Page 114 of 115
216
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 114 of 115
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
217
meetings behind closed doors without any transparency. In order to protect the taxpayers' money, I suggest the Sports Development Board should increase its transparency. All its meetings should be open to the public like the Legislative Council and Urban Council meetings. The majority of Board members should be elected, just like the Amateur Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong with all its members elected. This way, the Board's business can be monitored by the public and taxpayers' money will be used properly. If my two proposals cannot be achieved, I suggest the Sports Development Board be dissolved, its present duties taken over by the two municipal councils, the Amateur Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Sports Institute, and its subsidizing function can be handled directly by the Recreation and Culture Branch.
The next topic I want to talk about is the Hong Kong Stadium. Many colleagues regard the Hong Kong Stadium as a white elephant and do not agree the Urban Council should manage it. However, I insist that it should be managed by the Urban Council because it belongs to the Hong Kong people and thus its operation should be monitored by the public. Can you think of any organization which is more suitable, transparent and responsible to the public than the Urban Council in managing sports venues? We should be farsighted. When the pitch problem and the noise issue are solved and sports competitions, concerts and cultural and entertainment activities are frequently held in the Hong Kong Stadium, we will then realize that we have made the right decision.
The meaning of joining the Urban Council lies in serving the public. However, it is regrettable that with the invasion of party politics, this significance is gradually changing. Mr. SZETO Wah's intention to run in the Urban Council election is a typical example. Mr. SZETO Wah, as a party whip, is good at displaying political gestures, organizing demonstrations and parades, and shouting opposition slogans. He has never shown any sincere concern for municipal services in the past few years. The motive of these politicians who are interested in getting Council power but have no knowledge of municipal services at all for running in the elections is very obvious. They are just trying to expand the influence of their party and sound out how many votes they will probably receive in the 1995 LegCo election. Serving the public is not their first aim in participating in the election. The sounding-out of votes can be carried out in a number of ways such as conducting a questionnaire or sampling survey, or holding some mock elections. There is no need to do so by challenging the immensely popular Honourable Mrs. Elsie Tu who, with several decades of experience in the Urban Council, is dedicated to public service. The importance of Mrs. Tu in the Urban Council can be seen after 1 April when many new Councillors will emerge and many old Councillors with more than five or six years of experience will leave. Then she will play the role of a walking dictionary and serve as a witness to history to provide us with information for reference. If Mr. SZETO Wah wins the election, the Urban Council will gain a political figure who has no experience in municipal affairs and whose ability is on the decline. This will not do the Urban Council any good. Therefore, I think to brazenly and unscrupulously regard the UC election as a touchstone for the LegCo election is to show total contempt for the Urban Council. I think this is both shameful and regrettable.
Page 114 of 115
With these remarks, Mr. Chairman, I support the motion.
CHAIRMAN (in English):—Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. As agreed in the Standing Committee, I will exercise my right of reply at the next meeting of the Council to be held on Tuesday, 14 February 1995. That concludes the business of today's meeting and Council stands adjourned until Tuesday, 14 February 1995, at 2.30 p.m.
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY THE Government Printer, HONG KONG PRINTED ON PAPER MADE FROM WOODPULP DERIVED FROM RENEWABLE FORESTS
Page 114 of 115